UTMB John Sealy MD Admissions Guide (2027)

Quick facts

• Application: TMDSAS primary plus a required $70 supplemental with two essays and two Spark Hire video responses. Ready to apply
• School deadline: Supplemental due November 6, 2026 at 8 a.m. Central. Timeline
• Assessment: Casper required; October 20, 2026 is the last accepted test for 2027 entry. Timeline
• Interview: Virtual seven-station MMI; seven minutes per station after three minutes to read the scenario. Policies and FAQ

Admission requirements

Applicants must complete at least 90 semester hours; a bachelor's degree is preferred but not required. Prerequisites must be completed at an accredited U.S. or Canadian institution with grades of C or better. Required coursework is six hours of English; 14 biological-science hours including 12 lecture and two lab, with one biochemistry course allowed to replace one biology course; three hours of calculus or mathematics-department statistics; eight physics hours including six lecture and two lab; eight general chemistry hours including six lecture and two lab; eight organic chemistry hours including six lecture and two lab; and three hours of biochemistry. Requirements

Pass/fail prerequisite grades are accepted only for January 2020 through December 2021; letter grades are required from January 2022. Online and community-college coursework are accepted, though in-person work is encouraged. The school describes a process for requesting a waiver of small prerequisite deficiencies.

The MCAT is required, must be no more than five years old and must be on file before review. Applicants submit either a committee packet or three individual recommendations. Casper is required. The school considers only U.S. citizens and permanent residents, limits non-Texas residents to no more than 10% of the class and does not accept transfer students. Policies and FAQ

Important dates

TMDSAS makes the Entry Year 2027 application available May 1, 2026, opens submission May 15 and closes the primary at 11:59 p.m. Central on October 1. Letters are suggested by October 15. School rankings are due by 5 p.m. Central January 29, 2027, with match results February 12. TMDSAS deadlines

UTMB begins application review in July and interviews in August. October 20, 2026 is the last accepted Casper date. The school supplemental, including two essays and two asynchronous videos, is due November 6 at 8 a.m. Central; the timeline also places the letter deadline in November. Interviews end in December, early offers can occur October through January and the match and alternate-list stage begins in February. Timeline

The accepted-student page remains tied to the prior class and is not used for Fall 2027 orientation, transcript or class-start dates, which are not yet published.

How selection works

UTMB states that academic and non-academic factors have equal importance. Review includes course choices and grades, MCAT, Casper, advisory or committee evaluation and personal qualifications. Published non-academic evidence includes maturity, motivation, curiosity, honors, leadership, research, community and public service, athletics, arts, organizations, unique experiences and interpersonal, oral and written communication. Policies and FAQ

The MMI becomes part of the post-interview file. The school publishes the equal academic/non-academic principle but no sub-factor weights, Casper or video-response scoring method, MMI rubric, station weights, committee voting threshold or waitlist formula.

Interview details

Confirmed

Interviews are virtual for the foreseeable future and held Tuesday through Thursday. The school interviews about 56 applicants per week. Before their interview, applicants attend a mandatory virtual orientation on the preceding Friday. Policies and FAQ

The MMI has seven stations. Applicants receive three minutes to read each scenario and seven minutes with the interviewer. Interviewers may be faculty, alumni, staff, residents or students. One meeting lets the applicant discuss themselves, their interest in UTMB and their questions.

Not published

The school does not publish exact station domains, whether interviewers see application materials, scoring anchors, the MMI's quantitative weight or the committee voting method.

Who this program may suit

John Sealy explicitly balances academic and non-academic evidence. A fit answer should therefore connect performance and readiness to sustained evidence of leadership, service, curiosity and communication rather than treating metrics as the complete case. Policies and FAQ

This guide covers the regular Galveston MD through TMDSAS. Baccalaureate-to-MD, MD/PhD and other pathways have separate contracts and should not be applied to regular candidates.

Practice and next step

Run a seven-station practice circuit using three minutes to read and seven minutes to respond. Include an ethical tension, teamwork conflict, communication challenge, service reflection and a direct why-UTMB conversation. After the circuit, identify the station where your structure or listening weakened, improve only that response and complete a second attempt to compare. Separately practise two concise recorded answers to prepare for the supplemental's asynchronous video component.

Frequently asked questions

What does the UTMB supplemental include?

Two essays and two asynchronous video responses through Spark Hire. It costs $70 and is due November 6, 2026 at 8 a.m. Central. Ready to apply

Is Casper required?

Yes. October 20, 2026 is the last accepted Casper date for 2027 entry. Timeline

What is the interview format?

A virtual seven-station MMI. Each station allows three minutes to read and seven minutes to interview. Policies and FAQ

Does UTMB require a bachelor's degree?

It is preferred, not required. Applicants need at least 90 semester hours and the published prerequisites. Requirements

Sources

Verified August 12, 2026. Current official sources: 2027 ready-to-apply page, application timeline, admission requirements, policies and FAQ and TMDSAS Entry Year 2027 deadlines.